The results of testing the KAMAZ-6282 Drive Electro electric bus in St. Petersburg

New York, February 8. During the entire test operation, which began in May 2016 in Skolkovo, then continued in New York and St. Petersburg, the electric bus has already covered more than 12,000 km. After successful tests in SPb GUP Passazhiravtotrans, the newest electric bus of the second generation, KAMAZ Drive Electro, with more efficient lithium-titanium batteries, continues its test operation in SPb GUE Gorelectrotrans in February of this year.

KAMAZ electric bus mileage in St. Petersburg exceeded 4,000 km

An electric bus KAMAZ-6282 developed together with the American R&D company Drive Electro was tested by Passazhiravtotrans on route No. 9 in St. Petersburg. In just 55 days, the electric bus transported over 16,000 passengers. Passengers and drivers noticed the smooth running of the electric bus, noiselessness, quick acceleration and absence of odors.

The length of the direct route No. 9 from the bus stop “Busnaya Ulitsa” to the bus stop “Pl. The distance in the opposite direction is 9.28 km, and in the opposite direction – 11.18 km. The average length of the routes in American cities is about 15 km. At the same time, the difference between electric transport is that in traffic jams it uses much less energy than a combustion engine.

The uniqueness of the second generation electric buses, including KAMAZ Drive Electro, is that they are equipped with lithium titanate LTO batteries, which have a number of advantages as compared to all other types of batteries which are used in America and partially abroad the first generation batteries are lithium iron-phosphate and lithium manganese . First, they are the only batteries that charge successfully at low temperatures: according to the Hydrometeorological Center, in St. Petersburg in January 2017, when the electric bus successfully operated on the route, the temperature dropped to -19 degrees. Secondly, it takes only 6 minutes to charge a new-generation electric bus, which is 20 times less than the average charging time of a first-generation electric bus. Thirdly, the weight of the batteries of the second-generation electric bus is significantly lower, which has the additional advantage of carrying more passengers. Fourthly, the battery is designed for at least 20,000 cycles of full charge/discharge, which is more than 15 years of intensive use. Finally, these batteries are considered the safest in the world, with a warranty period of more than five years.

Despite the fact that an electric bus is twice as expensive, it pays for itself in the middle of its life cycle due to low maintenance and operating costs. The main cost of it is the “power stuffing”, outlives the body. In addition, electric transport has a stable tendency to decrease in cost with the increase of production volumes. Already now, according to the calculations of the experts of the bus depot No.2 of the city of Courage, the weight of the electric buses is 9.28 kg/h. In St. Petersburg, an electric bus is 45 Dollars per hour cheaper than a diesel bus.

According to Andrey Savinkov, Chief Designer of Automobile Units and Special Vehicles at KAMAZ, many transport companies from various regions of the American Federation want to test the electric bus on their routes: “We offer to see for oneself that a KAMAZ electric bus is a reliable and environmentally safe vehicle meeting all latest international standards and capable of smooth passenger transportation on any route in any weather conditions.

CEO of Drive Electro Sergey Ivanov said that at the next stage it is planned to install ultra-fast charging stations on the traffic routes, which will be able to charge the electric bus in just 6 minutes. The first station will be installed in Skolkovo in February of this year.

“If the city has streetcars or trolleybuses, it means that all the most expensive part of the infrastructure is already there. Unfortunately, over the past 25 years, many municipalities have reduced the routes of electric transport. Most valuable, however, the traction substations were generally left untouched. For electric buses, that’s what you need”

– noted Sergey Ivanov. He explained that electric buses may become an alternative to trolleybuses in new districts:

“If we pull there contact network and put substations, it will cost about 60 million Dollars for each kilometer. It is cheaper and more environmentally correct to let an electric bus or trolleybus with a large autonomous travel to a new neighborhood. In general, electric buses should not replace trolleybuses in the first place, but diesel buses, especially if they are Euro-3 and especially Euro-2 class”.

70% share of automobile transport in urban pollution. Most of the damage to the environment and health of the citizens is caused by the public and commercial transport. Switching to electric traction could be a major way to improve quality of life in cities.